Causality

Latest Episodes:

25: Deepwater Horizon Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

In 2010 an Oil Drilling Rig suffered a catastrophic well blowout, killing 11 people, destroying the rig and leading to the worst maritime oil spill in history. It all happened a few hours after the well was declared safe and ready for handover. We look at the human and financial factors that led to the incident at Macondo.
With John Chidgey.

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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

24: Columbia Dec 14, 2018

Show notes

In 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia launched successfully but after its mission was completed burned up on re-entry with the loss of all onboard. We look at how normalisation of deviation blinded many at NASA to a risk that had existed since 1981.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

23: Kipton Sep 01, 2018

Show notes

When two trains collided head on at Kipton, Ohio in 1891, it was a wake up call for the railroad industry in North America whose impacts would be far-reaching and would lead to a new timekeeping standard that was unprecedented.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
With thanks to Clinton Philips for the topic suggestion.

22: Chernobyl Jul 08, 2018

Show notes

The largest nuclear incident in human history released an estimated 400 times the radioactive material compared to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It all happened because of a test that was delayed by one shift, or was it the ultimate inevitability of a flawed reactor design?
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Technical References:

Timelines:

Essays, Regulations and Miscellaneous:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

21: Milford Haven Apr 30, 2018

Show notes

A turning point in control systems user interface design and alarm management happened in an unlikely place that few have ever heard of. We look at what went wrong at Milford Haven.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Carsten Hansen.

20: Stava Dam Feb 25, 2018

Show notes

On the 19th of July, 1985 in Tesero, Northern Italy, a tailings dam gave way and killed 268 people. With the most common tailings dam design in the world, what went wrong and how widespread are the risks?
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone, Eivind Hjertnes and Carsten Hansen.

19: Smiler Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

In 2015 at Alton Towers in the UK, The Smiler Rollercoaster experienced a major incident leading to severe injuries for multiple riders. We look at how pressure to get the ride running again and mis-communication defeated the system designed to protect the riders.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.

18: The Fog Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

In 1952 a fog in London left 4,000 dead in just 4 days but many more would die before the causes could be rectified. Worse than that, it had happened before and it’s happening again right now, somewhere else.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.

17: Three Mile Island Jun 03, 2017

Show notes

On March 28, 1979 Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in the United States of America an incident would lead to a partial reactor core meltdown. Many blamed the operators for stopping the reactor cooling system but the real root causes showed a known flaw in the design and alarm flooding had blinded the operators to what was actually happening.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Causality Episode 3: Fukushima

Links of potential interest:

Support Causality on Patreon
Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, Eivind Hjertnes and Daniel Dudley.

16: Tenerife Mar 11, 2017

Show notes

In 1977 on the small island of Tenerife two 747 Jumbo Jets collided on the runway in poor visibility. A miscommunication clearly occurred, but even today, the same elements still exist and it could happen again.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest: